He said his office is talking to the Department of Homeland Security and is trying to get Zinouri back to Clemson.

“My goal is to protect America from terrorists coming into our country, not keep this young lady out,” Graham said. “She’s smart, she’s intelligent, she adds value to our country and I’ll find a way to fix this problem.”

Zinouri is a 2016 Ph.D. graduate of Clemson who has lived and worked in Greenville for seven years. She posted a message on her Facebook page Friday from Dubai International Airport, where she was attempting to fly back to Greenville after a visit to family in Tehran. She said she was sent back to her hometown in Tehran, Iran, after she tried to board a plane in Dubai for a flight to Washington, D.C. She got her boarding pass to go through security and said she was told to get out of line and that she wasn’t allowed to board the plane because of security orders.

"I feel very encouraged. I really appreciate him making the trip and also outlying, putting out, some plans that we're going to work together on as far as trying to get her back and the documentation he needs to help her get home," Thorson said.

Graham said President Trump’s executive order, which temporarily bans immigrants and refugees from seven predominantly Muslim countries from traveling to the U.S., needs to be modified and streamlined.

“The executive order was issued without really thinking it through, Graham said. "I’m all for extreme vetting when it comes to terrorist rich countries. But people who already have legal status who have been here for years and have a green card, you cannot capture them or put them in the net of terrorism. The mistake you make here is lumping everybody into one big pot.”